Parakeets, Macaws

Information

65 records

Parakeet is a name for any one of a large number of unrelated small to medium sized species of parrot, that generally have long tail feathers. Parakeets breed better in groups, but are usually fine breeding in pairs. Hearing other parakeets encourages a pair to breed, which is why breeding in groups is more successful. However, many breeders choose to breed in pairs because that way they know which parents produced any given birds.

Macaws are long-tailed, often colorful New World parrots. Macaws are native to Mexico, Central America, South America, and formerly the Caribbean. Most species are associated with forests, especially rainforests, but others prefer woodland or savannah-like habitats. Proportionately larger beaks, long tails, and relatively bare, light-colored, medial areas distinguish macaws. A macaws facial feather pattern is as unique as a fingerprint.

Other Names

Scientific Name

-

Alternate Names

-

Records

The Alexandrine Parakeet is named after Alexander the Great, who is credited with the exporting of numerous specimens of this bird from Punjab into various European and Mediterranean countries and regions, where they were considered prized possessions for the nobles and royalty.

It is a large Parakeet species, mainly green with a blue-grey sheen on its cheeks and nape, particularly in males. The abdomen is yellowish-green, the upper-side of the middle tail feathers is blueish-green, the upper side of the external tail feathers is green while the underside of the tail feathers are all yellow. All Alexandrine Parakeets boldly display a reddish-brown patch at the top of their wing coverts. The shoulder patch is seen in parakeets at their first feathering before fledging. The lower and upper mandibles are red with yellow tips. The adult's irises are yellowish-white and the periopthalmic rings are light grey.

The blue-winged parakeet is a species of parakeet endemic to the Western Ghats of southern India. Found in small flocks, they fly rapidly in forest clearings while making screeching calls that differ from those of other parakeet species within their distribution range. Their long blue tails tipped in yellow and the dark wings with blue contrast with the dull grey of their head and body. Adult males and females can be easily told apart from the colour of their beak.

The Hawk-headed Parrot possesses elongated neck feathers that can be raised to form an elaborate fan, which greatly increases the bird's apparent size, and is possibly used when threatened. It generally lives in undisturbed forest, feeding in the canopy on fruits. It nests in holes in trees and stumps, laying two to three eggs.

Adult parrots can be particularly ill-tempered, stubborn, unpredictable and strong-willed birds, showing extreme aggression towards humans and other birds housed with them, particularly when in breeding condition. Hawk-headed Parrot, when kept as pets tend to bond with one person and require firm handling and a patient owner, experienced in both bird-keeping and the reading of psittacine body language.

The Hyacinth Macaw is the largest macaw and the largest flying parrot species in the world. In terms of length it is larger than any other species of parrot. While generally easily recognized, it can be confused with the far rarer and smaller Lear's Macaw. Their popularity as pets has taken a heavy toll on their population in the wild.

The Hyacinth Macaw is 100 cm long from the tip of its tail to the top of its head and 1.5 kg in weight. Its feathers are entirely blue, lighter above and darker on its wings. It has a large black curved beak. It has bright-yellow bare skin at the base of its lower beak and also yellow bare skin circling its eyes. Male and female have identical external appearances.

The Indian Lorikeet is a small parrot which is a resident breeder from India, Nepal and some other areas of Southeast Asia. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit, seeds, buds and blossoms that make up its diet. They frequently seen near the Banyan tree for the fruit and Plantain trees for the nectar from the flowers. It is a bird of dry jungle and cultivation.

The Military Macaw is a medium sized member of the macaw family. Though considered vulnerable as a wild species, it is still commonly found in the pet trade industry. A predominantly green bird, it is found in the forests of Mexico and South America.

The Military Macaw is 70 cm long. It is mostly green in color with the head a slightly paler shade. It bears a red frontal patch, with a white bare facial area barred with narrow black lines. The flight feathers are blue and the red tail bordered with blue. The large strong beak is grey-black and the iris yellow.

The Military Macaw appears superficially similar to, and may easily be confused with the somewhat larger Great Green Macaw.

The Monk Parakeet is a species of parrot. It originates from the temperate to subtropical areas of Argentina and the surrounding countries in South America. Self-sustaining feral populations occur in many places, mainly in North America and Europe.

The Monk Parakeet is 30 cm long and weighs 100 gm. It has bright green upperparts. The forehead and breast are pale grey with darker scalloping and the rest of the underparts are very-light green to yellow. The remiges are dark blue, and the tail is long and tapering. The bill is orange. The call is a loud.

The Plum-headed Parakeet is a parrot which is a resident breeder in northeast India eastwards into Southeast Asia. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit and blossoms which make up its diet.

Plum-headed Parakeet is a bird of forest and open woodland. It nests in holes in trees, laying 4-5 white eggs. This is a green parrot, 30 cm long with a tail up to 18 cm. The male's head is pink becoming pale blue on the back of the crown, nape and cheeks. There is a narrow black neck collar and a black chin stripe.

There is a red shoulder patch and the rump and tail are bluish-green, the latter tipped yellow. The upper mandible is yellow, and the lower mandible is dark.

The female has a pale grey head and lacks the black neck collar and chin stripe patch. The lower mandible is pale. Immature birds have a green head and a grey chin. Both mandibles are yellowish and there is no red shoulder patch. The different head color and the yellow tip to the tail distinguish this species from the similar Plum-headed Parakeet. Plum-headed Parakeet is a gregarious and noisy species with range of raucous calls.

The Red-fronted Macaw is a parrot endemic to a small semi-desert mountainous area of Bolivia, Brazil It is highly endangered, and there may only be 150 or so birds left in the wild; it has been successfully bred in captivity, and is available, if not common, as a pet.

The Red-fronted Macaw is 24 in long. It is mostly green, and has a red forehead, a red patch over the ears and bright red to orange edged under wing coverts. It has an area of pinkish skin around the eyes extending to the beak. It has red at the bend of wings and blue primary wing feathers.

The red-breasted parakeet is among the more widespread species of the genus and is the species which has the most geographical variations. It is easily identified by the large reddish patch on its breast.

The Rose-ringed Parakeet is a gregarious tropical parakeet species that has an extremely large range.

Rose-ringed parakeets are popular as pets. This non-migrating species is one of few parrot species that have successfully adapted to living in disturbed habitats, and in that way withstood the onslaught of urbanisation and deforestation. In the wild, this is a noisy species with an unmistakable squawking call.

Rose-ringed parakeets measure 40 cm in length including the tail feathers. The tail accounts for a large portion of their total length. The adult male sports a black neck-ring and pink nape-band while the female and immature birds either show no neck rings, or display shadow-like pale to dark grey neck-rings, and nape-bands that are lighter coloured than the surroundings.

The Scarlet Macaw is a large, colorful macaw. It is native to humid evergreen forests in the American tropics. Range extends from extreme south-eastern Mexico to Amazonian Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. It has suffered from local extinction through habitat destruction and capture for the parrot trade, but locally it remains fairly common. Formerly it ranged north to southern Tamaulipas. It can still be found on the island of Coiba.

It is 85 cm long, of which more than half is the pointed, graduated tail typical of all macaws, though the Scarlett Macaw has a larger percentage of tail than the other large Macaws. The average weight is about 1 kg. The plumage is mostly scarlet, but the rump and tail-covert feathers are light blue, the greater upperwing coverts are yellow, the upper sides of the flight feathers of the wings are dark blue as are the ends of the tail feathers, and the undersides of the wing and tail flight feathers are dark red with metallic gold iridescence.